


To Trust

by Random_ag



Category: Bendy and the Ink Machine
Genre: Canon, Coming Out, Fluff, IVE DECIDED THIS DOES ACTUALLY HAPPEN, M/M, Prompt Fic, Tumblr Prompt, i WILL allow myself old queer men in love. as a treat
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-20
Updated: 2020-04-20
Packaged: 2021-03-02 01:35:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,109
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23756989
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Random_ag/pseuds/Random_ag
Summary: prompt 4: An accidental brush of the lips followed by a pause and going back for another, on purposeJoey and Malcolm learn something about each other.
Relationships: Joey Drew/Malcolm McNamara
Comments: 4
Kudos: 2





	To Trust

“He told me.”

He remembered that smile.

It was stupefied. Wide. Relieved.

“He told me.”

Strangely grateful.

“He trusts me.”

He’d watched Malcolm settle down in the chair in front of him, arms shaking slightly from sheer excitement. He’d seen his wide eyes so amazed and shaken. He’d heard him speak, with such surprise and relief, feeling it to be such an honor, to be trusted - an honor he deserved, undoubtedly; but one that he was not ready to bestow to him yet. He’d listened to hs words and responded with others. When he left, he was still stunned.

It was the first push.

Like a domino, an unforseen path had opened for the lawyer. He couldn’t ignore the inequities, couldn’t say it wasn’t his problem. He began a fight to help, and he began on the court’s ring.

A Taiwanese-Scottish man, asking for the queers to be respected?

Oh, the news were everywhere.

Less than flattering, of course; it will always be too late to keep your mouth shut, won’t it.

Because as unkind as the words might have been, they spread far and wide, shouted at the winds to be scattered across the city. And sparrows of every color of the light flocked to the man with green cat-like eyes to ask for help.

His memory of time was hazy. Was it two years? Or just one? No, three.

For the past three years Malcolm had been soaked in color.

Every day and night, covered in hues up to his neck, not minding it one bit. He’d met and spoken to nearly every person one might hope to encounter.

And maybe, because of that.

“Do you…?”

He didn’t complete the question.

“Do I what?”

“Do you think… Do you think you can, hm, love someone if you don’t… Even if you aren’t… Attracted? To that person?”

“Attracted?”

“As in… As in, uh…”

Malcolm tormented his hands.

“As in… You know.”

Joey replied by tilting his head to the side, round eyes empty.

The lawyer’s throat rumbled with a gentle cough: “Attracted. Drawn to. I… It’s - ah, ok, let me… Hold on. I meant… Can you fall in love with someone, even if, uhm, even if you aren’t… Even if you don’t feel… If you don’t…”

“-Want to get physical?”

Malcolm gave a shaky laugh: “That’s a way to put it, yes.”

“Oh, sure you can!”

“You think?”

“I’ve been doing that my whole life.”

“You- You have?”

Joey gave a nod. Malcolm seemed surprised; a little relieved, too.

“So it happens. With, with women, I guess, but-”

“Oh, I don’t swing that way.”

He sounded calm. He had a knack for managing to sound calm and keep a lovely smile on his face when in reality he would have rather eaten fifteen bowls of screws in rapid succession instead of having opened his mouth.

Malcolm’s small, thin eyes were the widest he’d ever seen them being.

“… And you’ve known?”

“Since… Always, more or less.”

“You could have told me. In these three years, at least.”

“I could have.”

“… So why didn’t you?”

“Alas, I am a concetrate of anxiety.”

“But you’ve told me now.”

“I have!”

“… And how is it?”

“A weight off my shoulders.”

Malcolm’s mouth closed almost embarassedly (for it had been hanging open) and his gaze fell to his hands, to his thumbs playing nervously with each other. He bit the inside of his cheek for a second or two before moving to his lower lip.

Finally, he spoke clearly.

“I think I might like men.”

He didn’t raise his head to look at Joey, waiting for a response. When it didn’t come, he took in a breath to add, a little softer: “And I probably never noticed because I’m not… I’m not ‘interested’ in them.”

Joey took a moment to think.

“So with her, …?”

“No, no, I- I like women too, it’s just… It’s just I was always ‘interested’ in women but not in men and I think that’s why I never thought I would want to…”

“… Smooch a guy?”

The lawyer snorted as he tried to repress a laugh. Joey moved closer, giggling as well, his head lowering to get a glimpse of his brother-in-law’s expression.

“You never smooched a guy?” he repeated jokingly, “Not even between friends?”

Malcolm cackled: “No!”

“Not even just a peck on the lips between pals? Just a kiss between buddies?”

“No, they would have-! What, you did that?”

“Of course not, but I wouldn’t have minded that!”

An amused green sparkle flashed from the giggling face as it turned to the ex-animator for a second or two, before disappearing back behind a curtain of straight raven hair that were starting to get streaked with grey. Joey leaned further towards him, eager to peek at his visage as if he’d just gotten to catch a glimpse of it for the first time and had become instantly enamoured.

“Do you wanna try?”

“Try what?”

“Smoochin’ a guy?”

“I mean-”

“If you want I’m ready!”

“Joey!”

“We can try right now!”

“You’re joking!”

“I’m dead serious!”

“Dear God-”

It was… A bad idea, to tease him like that.

When their heads were so close, and by simply raising Malcom’s their mouths could get so dangerously near and brush on one another.

Fucked up.

He’d fucked up.

He could barely breathe.

He’d fucked up.

Fucked up.

Fingers curled around the fabric of his sleeves after a minute or two. And to his disbelief, they started pulling him closer.

It was timid, and trembling, but the kiss pressed kindly on his lips, and just as kindly he pressed back, unseen by all behind their closed eyes; his hands rose to sustain the back of a head of black straight hair, fingertips daring to run through them as he’d often wished. He paused to gasp for breath, but Malcolm didn’t - perhaps still too focused to notice any shortness of air in his lungs - and fell a little further. Their mouths opened to melt into one another to the surprise of both of them, and then again, and again, and again, until they both pulled away and their foreheads pressed together to keep their lips apart.

They couldn’t hope to speak - not even try to. They avoided each other’s gaze in embarassement, feeling as if they were kindergarten sweethearts, trying to fully understand the emotions that had risen with a vibrant red on their cheeks like apples forced inside a bucket of water.

Joey’s thumb caressed the lawyer’s cheek, hands still holding his face.

“Would you like to… To stay? For tonight.”

Green eyes faced him again, and smiled shyly.

“… I’d like that.”


End file.
